JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Amanze Ngumezi and Skyelar Potter combined for Jacksonville State's final 23 points to will the Gamecocks past East Tennessee State, 63-61, on the road Saturday in the first meeting between the two schools.
 
The win improved Jax State (4-4) back to .500 for the season, and moves the Gamecocks to 6-1 in the state of Tennessee since the start of 2020-21. Meanwhile, ETSU (4-5) fell for just the second time at home this year.  
 
Potter, a senior transfer from Bowling Green, Ky., exploded in the second half to finish with a career-high 27 points. After throwing down a game-tying dunk with just over three minutes remaining, Potter buried his fifth triple of the night as the clock ticked below a minute remaining to push JSU to a 62-59 advantage. He would tack on a late free throw in the closing seconds that changed the Bucs final possession.
 
Trailing by two with 12 seconds remaining, ETSU raced up the floor for the final offensive possession, but Potter's last free throw meant a win would have to come from beyond the arc which ETSU tried after driving inside and kicking the ball back out to the right wing. The shot banged off the rim and into the hands of a couple of Gamecocks as the final horn sounded.
 
While Potter carried the load in the second half and Ngumezi drilled clutch shots down the stretch, freshman Travis Roberts perhaps made it all possible with his breakout opening half. JSU's sluggish start on the road saw the Gamecocks with just eight points more than 12 minutes into the game. Roberts, who finished with a career-high of his own with 15 points, tallied 13 of those in the first 20 minutes to keep Jax State in the contest. The Waldorf, Md., native, made his first five shots, including a trio of key threes to hand with ETSU early.
 
Roberts' efforts held JSU even with the Bucs at the end of the first half before Potter drained another triple to send JSU to the half with a 31-28 lead.
 
ETSU responded out of the break with a 13-6 stretch to claim the advantage back in the early minutes of the second half. Overall, the home team led for more than 20 minutes total, while JSU owned the lead for just over 12 of the 40 minutes.
 
The Bucs still led 51-45 with under nine minutes to play when Ngumezi knocked down his first three to cut it to three. A little while later, Ngumezi's third trey evened things at 57-57. The Savannah, Ga., product, finished with 11 points and five boards in his return after a three-game absence with injury.
 
JSU now prepares for another trip out west when they visit Utah on Dec. 8.